A bit of sea salt makes just about everything taste better, even chocolate...especially when it's rich dark chocolate and there's roasted almonds involved. This would be Ghiradelli's Sea Salt Soiree, Intense Dark chocolate with sea salt and roasted almonds....decadent and beyond delicious.

That was my favorite find of the week. But there's a few others right behind it. Such as the Flying Winemaker 2007 Ancient Vine Zinfandel. They describe it as 'dark fruit on the nose and a beautiful, intense dark berry flavor on the palate'. I describe it as 'yummy, fruity and smooth and goes fabulously with dark chocolate'. Best thing is that it's inexpensive too, at around $12.99 a bottle. I discovered this one at a wine shop in North Andover, where my sister lives. They do a tasting every so often where customers rank 18 wines, and this one was the top red, over much pricier wines. It's good on its own or with pasta, meat or cheese.

Speaking of cheese, have fallen madly in love with St. Andre triple cream. My office mate Jen and I are addicted to the stuff. We killed a whole ball of it as an appetizer, before having our low fat main meal of boiled dinner. I refused to look at the calorie information as it would have been much too shocking. We had multiple servings of this very high fat cheese, but it's hard not to. Get this the next time you have people over and watch them swoon....it's seriously crazy good. The texture is like butter, soft, smooth and mild, a little brie like but creamier. You can find it at most supermarkets in the cheese section, though the white chalky rind is edible, like brie it's kind of bitter, so I tend to avoid it and focus on the rich, creamy goodness inside.

So, that's it for the week, chocolate, cheese and wine, three of my favorite things.

I realize that this picture isn't as pretty as it could be, but trust me, this tasted AMAZING! I love eggplant, and especially eggplant parmesan, which is often my go-to dish at certain Italian restaurants. But, a few weeks ago, when friends were in town visiting, we had dinner at Cafe Strega, on Main St. in Plymouth and in the same building as my office. It was my first time in since we'd moved into our new office, well over a year ago and the manager teased me about that as we settled in. I had of course visited the bar a few times, but hadn't yet come in for dinner. I told him if they were open for lunch he'd probably see us constantly. Though it's a good thing for our waistlines that they are not open for lunch. :)

We shared an antipasto appetizer and an order of meatballs that were fantastic, but I hit the jackpot with the pasta dish I ordered, which was called Eggplant Siciliana and if I'd been alone I would have been tempted to lick my plate, it was that good. It reminded me of inside-out eggplant parm, without the fried breading, as it was a jumble of diced, sauteed eggplant that was meltingly tender and tossed with a bright tomato sauce, penne pasta and fresh mozzarella, which melted into the sauce so the whole effect was creamy comfort food.

I'd been craving it ever since and almost ordered it to go last night after work as it was windy and rainy and a great night to curl up inside. But, I had bought a nice eggplant the day before at the farmer's market and had stumbled onto the perfect recipe to re-create this dish in one of my favorite cookbooks, Marcella Says...by Marcella Hazan.

I adapted the recipe just a hint by serving the parmesan on the side, and adding more tomatoes to make it a bit saucier.

Enjoy!

Inside-Out Eggplant Parmesan Pasta

1 Medium eggplant, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes

2 cups tomatoes in juice (I used crushed Muir Glen)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

4 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced into thin strips

pinch salt

1 box penne pasta

parmesan for sprinkling

Method: heat oil in 10" skillet over high heat. When hot, add eggplant and stir well for several minutes until eggplant is evenly coated and softened. Add tomatoes, salt and crushed pepper and reduce heat to low and simmer for about 15-20 minutes until eggplant is soft and tender, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, cook pasta and when done, drain and set aside. Turn heat off under eggplant, stir in mozzarella and then penne until well coated. Serve with parmesan, and enjoy!

Until recently, I was not a fan of baking my own bread. I tried a few times, even got a super deal on a bread maker, but it still seemed like too much effort for a funny shaped loaf that wasn't as good as what I'd get from Panera or other local bakeries. Why go to so much trouble when it's relatively inexpensive and so much better to just drop into Panera and scoop up a nice crusty loaf of their country white?

But then I was floating around egullet.org one day and browsing through the Dinner thread, which is always a dangerous thing to do if you're even the slightest bit hungry. The Dinner thread is where people post mouthwatering pictures and descriptions of what they had for dinner, either something they made themselves or had at a restaurant.

Of all the delicious meals, one that made me sit up and take notice was a lovely picture of the type of bread I most enjoy. A round, crusty country loaf with a nice crumb and all those nooks and crannies that make for delicious sturdy toast will plenty of melted butter. What intrigued me the most was that this was supposedly a no-knead super easy make it yourself recipe from the folks at Cooks Illustrated. Well, I've had good luck with their recipes, so off I went to explore and try for myself.

The recipe is simple, just 6 ingredients. Though one of them was white vinegar, and all I had was apple cider, and I wasn't sure if I had the right kind of beer. I had Beck's in the fridge so that's what I used and I suspect most any beer will probably be fine. What I like about this recipe is that unlike some recipes that call for a lot of kneading, which makes me nervous given that past attempts failed miserably, this one calls for just a few twists. I figured I could manage that.

So, I mixed up my flour, yeast, salt, water, beer and vinegar, combined it into a messy ball. Covered the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and then left it overnight. About 18 hours later, it had grown a little and had some bubbles, so that was encouraging. I turned it out on to a floured counter and folded it over about a dozen times. That's all the kneading it needs. :) The recipe then called for parchment paper, which I didn't have, so used aluminum foil instead and it worked beautifully. I sprayed cooking spray on the foil, plopped the ball of dough in the middle, sprayed it lightly with the oil, then plopped the foil and ball into a clean mixing bowl, covered it with plastic wrap again and set it aside for 2 hours. But after 2 hours, it looked like it could use a little more time, so I checked back in 2 hours again and it looked ready.

Then I took my 5 quart heavy enameled cast iron soup pot (a little smaller than the 6-8 qt dutch oven the recipe suggested, but it worked fine). First you put the pot in the oven, turn the heat up to 500 and when the oven dings that its' ready, you take the pot out, plop the foil and dough in, sprinkle a bit of flour over the top, and make a slash in the middle with a sharp knife. Then, cover and return to the oven. Reduce heat to 425 and bake, covered for 30 min. Then remove cover and bake another 20-30 minutes, until crust is nicely browned. Remove from oven, place bread on rack to cool (ideally 2 hours), but of course I couldn't wait two minutes. :)

This came out so well, that I've since made a few more times, the latest batch came out of the oven 5 minutes ago. Delish~ The flavor reminds me slightly of sourdough and the texture is divine, nice and crispy on the outside and soft and tender in. It makes the absolute BEST toast, especially when I use my trusty little George Foreman grill which gets it toasty on both sides at once.

In large mixing bowl, add flour, yeast and salt. Mix well. Then add warm (not hot) water, beer and vinegar. Stir until all just combined into a ball. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12-18 hours.

Turn dough out onto floured surface and roll around about a dozen times, folding over and into a smooth ball. Lightly spray either a sheet of aluminum foil or parchment paper with cooking oil, plop the doughball in the middle and lightly spray. Put foil (or paper) and dough into a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 4 hours. (you could do 2, but 4 worked better for me).

Heat oven to 500 and put your heavy cast iron soup pot or dutch oven in with the cover on. Sprinkle top of dough with a bit of flour and using a sharp knife, make a cut down the middle. When the oven dings that it's at 500, take out the pot and plop the foil (or paper) and dough inside. Cover and return to oven, and reduce heat to 425. Bake for 30 min, then remove cover and bake for 20-30 more minutes, until nice and brown.

Let cool on a rack for 2 hours ideally before cutting. (If you can wait that long, I never can.)

I've always liked hummus, but generally only ate it as a dip, either with pita pieces or raw vegetables. Then, several years ago I had a hummus revelation. My sister had come to visit me in Charlestown, MA, at my apartment in the Navy Yard. We stopped next door at the little sandwich shop at Flagship Wharf for a bite to eat. This place had the best grilled panini sandwiches. I was usually bad and had the grilled cheese, which featured quarter inch slabs of white cheddar that melted fabulously. That was one decadent sandwich, all crunchy and buttery on the outside and oozing goodness within. My sister, being much more practical and healthier eating than I, ordered one of their special grilled chicken sandwiches. It didn't seem overly exciting to me, after all, there was no cheese in that sandwich, and no mayo, just veggies and of all things, hummus. Did not appeal to me one bit. Until she took a bite and positively swooned, and insisted I try it. Reluctantly, I agreed with much skepticism. How good could a sandwich of chicken, roasted red peppers and hummus be? Well, let's just say I had serious sandwich envy after that bite. From then on, the grilled cheese was kicked to the curb, and hummus ruled my sandwich world.

Since then, I've often duplicated this at home, using my trusty little George Foreman grill (which also doubles as my toaster). I'm not a fan of roasted red peppers on their own, their texture is a tad too slimy for my taste. But, hummus is now widely available with roasted red peppers mixed in, and that's perfect. A couple slices of good bread, sliced turkey or chicken, and a slather of red pepper hummus and you have a delicious sandwich....especially if you press it until it's perfectly toasted.

My days of eating unlimited cheese are unfortunately over. So, just a few weeks ago, when making an omelet for breakfast, on a whim, I dropped a tablespoon or so of my new favorite hummus, the incredibly creamy Sabra brand, onto my omelet, folded it over and dove in. Who knew that hummus would make such a great filling for an omelet? You get the creamy mouthfeel of melted cheese and the flavor of good hummus, without all the fat. This has become a regular habit for me with omelets now.

It's kind of fun to make your own hummus too, and super easy. If you keep cans of chick peas in the house, and some tahini, you'll always have the makings for a quick batch and it's a great thing to make when company comes. For some reason it impresses them, and it's fast and simple. The version I make is based on a recipe from one of my 'go to' cookbooks, Ina Garten's first book, The Barefoot Contessa cookbook. Other outrageous recipes from this book are her grilled lemon chicken, roast chicken with gravy, and the Brownies...they are dangerously good.

Basic Hummus, adapted from The Barefoot Contessa cookbook.

2 cups canned chickpeas, reserve liquid, and rinse well

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 cup tahini (sesame paste)

3 tablespoons fresh sqeezed lemon juice (1 lemon)

2 tablespoons reserved chick pea liquid (or water)

2 tablespoons olive oil (not extra virgin, that taste will overpower)

Tabasco sauce to taste, a few dashes

Process all ingredients in a food processor until creamy. This will keep about a week in the fridge...if it lasts that long.

Adaptions I made were to cut the amount of lemon in half.....unless you specifically want lemon hummus, then use the full 2 lemons (6 tab worth). I usually like to add in whatever veggies I have on hand, like red peppers, or spinach/artichokes. Her recipe also doesn't call for olive oil, so you could omit, but I like the flavor and richness that a little bit adds. You can also play with the texture, if you like a more coarse hummus, process it less. These days I like it extra creamy, so I go a bit longer until it's nice and smooth.

Here's another great way to use hummus, as the base for a hot dip. This is a bit hit at parties, as you can pretend for a minute that it's healthy...that the hummus cancels out the corn chips you use to dip and the cheeses and sour cream that you stir in. It's very good stuff!

Cheesy Artichoke, Feta, Hummus, dip

One of the girls in the office brought this in, and we all fell in love. It's delicious, quick, and easy as can be.

2 cups hummus ( I like to use roasted red pepper)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

1 can artichoke hearts, in water, drained, and chopped

1/4 cup shredded carrots

1/2 cup feta cheese

Mix everything except the feta. Sprinkle feta on top. Microwave for about two minutes or until feta starts to melt. Serve with tortilla, corn or pita chips.

I've never been to so many cookouts in such a short period of time! I'm not complaining, as I do love a good cookout, but after 4 in 5 days, I am a little burnt out on grilled hamburgers and steaks (for at least another week). I had people over on the 4th and had a good amount of leftover burgers and steak and the last thing I felt like doing yesterday was eating either, but didn't want to let them go to waste. So, in a moment of desperate inspiration, I decided to make chili. Now chili is something that I made once, and it came out just awful, horrible, barely edible. So, I figured, this attempt couldn't be any worse.

What I didn't anticipate, was that it would be delicious! See I was a bit adventurous and incredibly lazy with this chili. I had a recipe from a women's magazine, but didn't have half the ingredients and lacked any energy or desire to go get them. Instead, I took a good look through my cabinets and took stock of what I did have and then got busy. What really intrigued me about this recipe was that it called for 1/3 of a cup of bittersweet chocolate chips. Chocoholic that I am, that sounded fabulous but at the same time a little scary considering it was going into a tomato and meat sauce.

Well, I didn't have any chocolate chips. But, I did have a container of high quality bittersweet cocoa, Valrhona I believe. So, I tossed in a heaping tablespoon of that. I was too scared to use a full 1/3 cup and figured maybe the powder was stronger anyway? I didn't have chili powder, so I just substitued Chinese 5 spice, figuring the cinnamon in that would go well with the chocolate and cumin. The recipe called for a few cans of diced tomatoes w/jalapenos...I didn't have those on hand, but I did have a huge can of whole tomatoes in juice so used those and added a good helping of ground red pepper for spice. A bit of beer, a splash of red wine, a bunch of oregano and hint of sugar and it was time to let this concoction simmer away.

I let it rest overnight in the fridge and heated up a bowl for lunch, a bit nervously I admit as this really was a kitchen sink soup.....but it was amazing. Somehow it had a smoky flavor, maybe from the grilled meat, and the chocolate and spices gave it a mysterious exotic taste, but no spice was dominant, they all blended beautifully. I added a sprinkle of fresh cilantro and was pretty pleased with myself, I must admit! I will definitely make this again, as it's a great way to use up grilled leftovers.

In large sauce pan over medium heat, add oil, and after it heats up add onion, stirring for a few minutes until it softens. Add chopped cooked beef to flour(add a sprinkle of the red pepper powder to the flour as well) and mix until lightly coated, and then add to onions and stir. Add garlic. Rinse beans and then add them to pot. Add beer and wine and let it simmer for a few minutes. Add tomato paste and stir well. Add canned tomatoes and their juice and then fill can about a third of the way with water and add that too. Stir well, then add oregano, cumin, Chocolate powder, chinese five spice, red pepper and sugar. Add a dash of salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Then reduce heat to low and cook about an hour to blend flavors. Serve immediately or better yet, let it sit overnight and then serve with chopped cilantro and a dollop of homemade guacamole or sour cream (or both.)

I first 'met' author Patry Francis when I somehow stumbled onto a blog post of hers shortly after she'd sold her book, The Liar's Diary. I remember feeling so moved by it, because it reminded me of my own many years of waitressing and of my mother who had waitressed all her life, and as some of you may remember, had her life cut short by lung cancer when she was only 57.

Patry had chased her dream and was about to leave her waitressing days behind her. But then, very recently, I learned that only a month after her book was released, Patry was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of cancer. She has had two surgeries and is readying for a third, which is taking up most of her time and energy. So, as an effort to help with the book promotion that she cannot do herself right now, me and well over 300 others, many of them best selling authors themselves, are blogging to bring her book some attention.

And this is a really good book! Patry's writing is truly exceptional. You get a sense of that when you read her blog as well, where she speaks candidly and eloquently and with humor as she deals with the day to day of fighting this vicious disease.

Please, read more about Patry's book below, watch her great book trailer, and if you know someone who'd like her book, please pick it up. Directly below is a bit of the post that introduced me to Patsy, and whether you've waitressed or not, I think you'll feel a bit of her excitement when she learns that her book has sold. Hopefully Patry can kick this cancer, and will have many writing days ahead.

I bought these shoes a couple years ago on sale for $14.99. A deal! I called a few of my waitress friends who came out and bought two or three pairs. But not me. See, I didn't plan to wear those ugly black clunkers much longer. Back at home, I was writing my little heart out (mostly in secret, lest people think I'm crazier than they already do). But also in secret, I believed something great was going to happen to me. Something miraculous. I was going to find an agent who had faith in me; and somewhere, somehow I was going to get a book deal.

This summer, when the soles sprung their first official hole and rain or every gooey gross substance on the kitchen floor leaked through saturated my socks, I refused to buy another pair. Nor did I replace my yellowing tuxedo shirts. This, you see, was going to be my last season as a waitress. Those who had heard I found an agent, asked almost daily if I'd sold the book.

"We're revising," I said. "Maybe we'll go out with it in the fall."

People gave me the kind of looks reserved for escapees from the asylum. "Better get a new pair of shoes, hon," they said as they walked away.

Meanwhile, the holes in my shoes got bigger and the soles got thinner. But I was not buying another pair. Well, at least not till next spring. But worse than the problem with the shoes, my backaches required more ibupfrofen to quiet them, and my feet ached so much that sometimes I still felt them in the morning. Everything was telling me that the work I did was too physical for my ectomorph body, and that I'd been doing it for far too long. And yet the only Plan B I had was a miracle.

Then last Thursday around 11:30 a.m. the phone rang as I was wandering around the house with a coffee cup in my hand thinking about my work in progress. On the other end of the line, the most amazing literary agent in the known universe, Alice Tasman of JVNLA (Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency) greeted me cheerily.

"I have some very exciting news for you," she said. "Dutton has made an offer on your novel."

While she gave me the details of the offer, my eyes drifted toward my waitressing shoes which were sitting in a square of light in the middle of the floor.

"You mean I can hang up my waitress shoes?" I said.

"You can burn those babies," she replied.

Here's more about Patry and Liar's Diary:

"The new questions and revelations just keep coming…Readers will be heartily rewarded."—Ladies' Home Journal

When new music teacher Ali Mather enters Jeanne Cross's quiet suburban life, she brings a jolt of energy that Jeanne never expected. Ali has a magnetic personality and looks to match, drawing attention from all quarters. Nonetheless, Jeanne and Ali develop a friendship based on their mutual vulnerabilities THE LIAR'S DIARYis the story of Ali and Jeanne's friendship, and the secrets they both keep.

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Jeanne's secrets are kept to herself; like her son's poor report card and husband's lack of interest in their marriage. Ali's secrets are kept in her diary, which holds the key to something dark: her fear that someone has been entering her house when she is not at home. While their secrets bring Jeanne and Ali together, it is this secret that will drive them apart. Jeanne finds herself torn between her family and her dear friend in order to protect the people she loves.

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A chilling tour of troubled minds, THE LIAR'S DIARY questions just how far you'll go for your family and what dark truths you'd be willing to admit—even to yourself.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Patry Francis is a three-time nominee for the Pushcart Prize whose work has appeared in the Tampa Review, Colorado Review, Ontario Review, and the American Poetry Review. She is also the author of the popular blogs, simplywait.blogspot.com, and waitresspoems.blogspot.com. This is her first novel. Please visit her website at www.patryfrancis.com.

So, I was on Epicurious yesterday, browsing the most popular recipes and landed on this one for a Bittersweet Chocolate Pecan pie and couldn't wait to make it. My excuse, because I have to justify it somehow because I really have no business making or eating Pecan pie right now (I think it is the most fattening of all pies, or very close), is that I am 'testing' it. That's right. Every Thanksgiving I bring something. Last year it was a Lemon Curd Marbled Cheesecake, which is ridiculously good, but the minute I saw this recipe I thought it might be the perfect thing to bring this year. And it is.

Though I usually like my pecan pie chilled, I couldn't wait to try this, mostly because I was dying of curiosity to see how the crust would be. It's an unsual recipe, this crust. And it feels odd when you make it, as if you are doing something wrong because the dough is a little too wet. I was concerned that it might be downright awful. But, incredibly, the secret ingredient, vodka of all things! works like a charm. I discovered this little trick while browsing the supermarket this morning. I was drawn to an issue of Cook's Illustrated, lured by the headline for a fool-proof flaky crust. I'd been planning to do an all-butter crust, since I try to avoid any kind of hydrogenated oils, but I do trust Cook's Illustrated, so since the recipe calls for half shortening and half butter, I circled back and got the Crisco.

I love Cook's Illustrated. Geek that I am, I'm always especially fascinated by the food science tid bits and the articles that explain how they arrived on a final recipe after trying all different variations. The science behind the vodka is especially interesting. Most pie crust recipes call for cold butter and a few tablespoons of water, making a crust that is often dry and tricky to work with...but the danger of too much water is that the gluten goes into overdrive and you end up with a tough crust instead of delicate, flakiness. The solution, half vodka and half water. This allows you to use double the liquid, making the dough much more pliable and easy to work with. Vodka doesn't have the same effect on flour that water does, so the dough bakes up into the flakiest, tastiest crust I've ever made. I should add too that I'm a relative newbie with pie crust. My usual method is to open a refrigerated box, unfold the pre-made dough and plop it in the pan. This is far superior, and ridiculously easy.

This pecan pie recipe calls for Bittersweet chocolate with 60-70% cacao. I used a 4 oz bar of Ghiradelli with 60%. You just melt the chocolate and then spread a thin layer over the crust. Then I put it back in the fridge to chill and set up while I made the filling. The chocolate gives this pie a Derby pie flavor, with lots of rich chocolate. One tweak that I made was to drizzle two tablespoons of melted butter over the pecans before putting them into the shell. Adding butter? Was that really necessary? No, of course not. But I love the flavor butter gives to pecans and noticed that lots of recipes call for even more butter, so figured a touch was fine. After all, it's not like the rest of this pie is low-cal. :)

I haven't posted in forever. But, I just bought a new camera and with the weather turning a bit chilly, I'm suddenly in cooking mode. I'm getting the urge to braise. My friend Andrew, who is a chef on Nantucket, rattled off his favorite way to braise a pork shoulder for really delicious pulled pork. His method involves beer and lots of brown sugar and spices. There's also a rich, chicken coq au vin type of dish that my friend Jen has made a few times now and it's silky and melt in your mouth delicious. She uses a combination of chicken thighs and breasts, lots of mushrooms, wine and brandy. And then there's the recipe for beef brisket that I discovered over at eGullet, that so far is my favorite. The secret ingredients, fire roasted tomatoes and red wine.

So, while I mull over which way to go, I need to share with you the name of the wine I had last night. I'd ordered a bunch of wines at wine.com. I'm an absolute sucker for a special deal, you know like with cosmetics, how they tempt you with a free gift with purchase? I fall for that all the time. So, when the wine.com email landed in my box, offering one cent shipping for orders of $99 or more, I immediately clicked over and ordered an assorted case, all wines I hadn't tried before, and with ratings of 90 or better. Last nights wine had a rating of 94, and is a 2001 Rioja Reserve from Marques de Caceres. It retails for $24.99. We had it with cheese and crackers and then marinated, grilled steak tips. It was out of this world. I will be buying more. It's a little pricier than I usually like to go, my typical range is $8-15 for everyday drinking. But when you want to splurge a little more, this is an excellent choice. Would also make a great gift. This wine is lush, smooth, and big. Delicious when we first had it with the cheese, it opened up after about a half hour and was even better with the steak tips. It's a wine that is wonderful just sipping on its own, but even better with food.

Here are the winemaker's notes,

85% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacha Tinta & Graciano

Bright, vivid dark ruby color. Intense bouquet that brings to mind jelly made from fruits of the forest (bilberries) and sweet spice. Good concentration in the mouth with delicious tannins that highlight the wine's rich fruit that has become more complex following aging in barrel. On the whole, an unctuous wine with a pleasant fullness that lingers on the pallet with a depth of refined toasted notes. A very elegant wine with superb potential for development.

Just like our Gran Reserva wines, the Reservas are only produced from vintages classed as "excellent" or "very good". The Reservas are matured for 22 months in oak barrels from central France and for 2 years or more in bottle, depending on the date of release.

Well, the bad news is that I've gained all the weight I lost on weight watchers (about 8 pounds), since I started working in Boston again. Sitting in that cube evidently works up quite an appetite. There's an Italian Deli and a convenience store in my building, so all I have to do is ride the elevator down to the first floor, stock up and head back to feed in my cube. I fell into bad habits fast. By the end of the first week, each time I chatted with my sister on the phone, it was around three or so and I'd just returned to my cube after taking my regular afternoon walk to the elevator and to the convenience store where they sell old-fashioned penny candy. Penny candy!!! And they had my favorites too, the tiny swedish fish, and those snowflake looking dark chocolate non-pareils. Not good for the diet.

But, in an effort to get back on track, I stumbled onto an excellent new find. Just playing around one night, I opened a can of chick peas (garbanzo beans), rinsed them under cold water, and tossed them into a large saute pan. I drizzled about two tablespoons of good extra virgin olive oil over them, added plenty of salt and fresh ground pepper and a few big pinches of crushed red pepper. I stirred them well, then threw the whole pan into a 350 oven for about 50 minutes.

They are positively swoon-worthy. The outsides get nice and crisp and crunchy while the insides are tender and creamy. The flavor from the seasonings adds just the right amount of spicy kick. These are best when served hot. Transfer immediately into a serving dish, so they stop cooking. I made a batch once and didn't do this and an hour later, they resembled shriveled, hard peas.

These are great as a healthy, high fiber snack, with cocktails as an appetizer, or tossed into salads for a little extra crunch.

You could also experiment with the spices. I bet it would be fantastic with fresh rosemary and a splash of lemon, or chinese five spice seasoning, or just about any flavor you like.

Before my friend Keri and her now husband, Andrew moved to Nantucket, they lived with me for a few months. This was at least 7 or 8 years ago, when I lived in Winthrop, MA, a tiny town just past East Boston, completely surrounded by water and with views and sounds of jets taking off at Logan Airport. We got so used to the sound, a constant hum that was like white noise in the background, that when the planes occasionally changed their flight patterns, the silence seemed strange. When I first told my grandparents I was moving to Winthrop, which was my first big move off Cape Cod and into the big city of Boston, they were thrilled. Relieved actually. They knew Winthrop well and kept a boat at the Winthrop Yacht club for something like twenty years. My grandfather said there was no crime in Winthrop, "There's only two ways in or out of town. Anything happens, they just block you in." He was right.

So, for the few months that Keri and Andrew stayed with me, we had mostly opposite schedules. I worked days at my office job, and they worked nights. Keri was a server at the Bristol Lounge at the Four Seasons and Andrew was a chef at several places. We usually had Monday nights off together, Monday's being generally slow restaurant nights. If Andrew didn't cook something amazing for us, such as mashed potatoes with many sticks of butter, sour cream, and blue cheese folded in, then we'd often sit in the kitchen, playing cards--usually pitch, drinking wine and snacking.

One of our favorite snacks, that we'd sometimes eat instead of dinner, was Andrew's clam dip. He'd make a big batch, then Keri would fill little individual bowls for each of us, and put a huge platter of chips in the middle of the table. More often than not, we'd sip Woodbridge Chardonnay, an inexpensive white that went so well with this dip. The first time he made it, I wasn't sure I'd like it. The idea of clam dip just didn' t carry much appeal as I'd had one once that was too clammy. This was different. One bite, and I swooned. It's the perfect balance of rich cream cheese, sour cream, bits of minced clam and a dash of hot sauce and worcestershire. It's best when you mix it up, then let it chill for 20-30 minutes. Enjoy!

Andrew's Clam Dip

2 small packages (6 ounces total) cream cheese

3/4 cup sour cream

1 small clove of garlic, crushed and finely minced

1 can (7 oz) minced clams, drained

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

dash ground cayenne pepper or hot pepper sauce (or both)

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Mix the cream cheese, sour cream, and garlic together until smooth. Add minced clams and blend in with remaining seasonings. Chill thoroughly. Serve with chips, I like Cape Cod Reduced Fat the best, they're crispy but not as greasy.